Generally, the invention deals with tear gas launcher capabilities and, more particularly, is directed to providing a system by which standardly available blank cartridges, for instance .38 Special and .38 S&W blanks, are used as the charge for propelling a practice projectile from the standard police tear gas launcher. The system also provides for converting the tear gas launcher to a single shot rifle or shot gun in emergency situations.
A major problem that exists in firearm certification for officers of the law is certification in the use of a tear gas gun or launcher, with a particular problem of training for the certification being rooted in the complexity and cost of hand-loading the practice rounds presently used in such training.
The practice rounds presently used for training in the use of the standard 37/38 mm (1.5 inch) tear gas gun consist of a charged casing and attached projectile, both with outside diameters of 37 millimeters or so for reception with the chamber of the launcher.
Reloading these prior art practice rounds involves: locating and retrieving the projectile from down range; removing the primer cap from the spent casing; seating a new primer firmly in the casing; dumping a powder charge into the open of the casing; inserting a cardboard disc into the casing to retain the powder charge in the bottom of the casing; inserting the paper or cloth wad to prevent powder from coming up through the hole in the disc; inserting the felt; and inserting and driving the end of the projectile into the casing while taking care not to activate the primer.
Clearly, reloading of these practice rounds is a time consuming procedure which requires extensive training and consumes a great deal of time, while presenting complexities for safe handling of the charges. Further, the charged and assembled practice round does not lend itself to changing the charge so as to change the projection range.
Additionally, the smoke which emanates from the barrel of the tear gas launcher, when a prior art practice round is fired, obstructs the view of the user sufficiently to make subsequent location and retrieval of the practice projectile more difficult and time consuming than is desirous. Thus, there is a need for reducing the powder charge and consequent smoke of the practice round.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a considerably improved practice round, at least from the viewpoint of: reduced cost, simplified and safer procedure for reloading, and readily interchangeable propelling charges for attaining different projection distances.
Further, it is an object of the invention to provide a practice projectile which has a much reduced charge and closely matches the speed and distance of a live tear gas round, while having the same caliber of, and using the aiming and guidance of, the launcher.
Also, it is an object of the invention to provide a propelling charge for the inventive practice round which is small enough that smoke from the barrel of the launcher does not hinder the ability of the user to locate the projectile that is fired.
Still further, it is an object of the invention to provide for use of the standard launcher as a single shot rifle or shot gun, thus expanding the options available to the law officer in emergency situations.
Additionally, it is the object of one embodiment of the invention to provide a projectile which is snugly receivable within the bore of an adapter so as to establish a connection therebetween independently of the barrel of the projector.
It is also an object of the invention to provide practice rounds for larger caliber devices such as launchers, 105 millimeter cannons, and the like in which the projectiles may be associated with one or more adaptors for receiving various different charges of reduced size which are capable of projecting the practice projectile for distances which are commensurate with the live rounds that they are simulating.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the remainder of the disclosure herein.